Transport for London (TfL),
2016

Challenge

SWARCO Traffic Ltd. was approached by Transport for London (Tfl) to create a solution that would slash the number of oversized lorries hitting a notorious railway bridge on London’s South Circular. In the six-month period from January – July 2016 before the new measures were introduced there were 11 crashes at the Thurlow Park Bridge in Tulse Hill.

Details

Six full colour RGB Matrix electronic warning signs from SWARCO Traffic have helped Network Rail and Transport for London (TfL) to slash the number of oversized lorries hitting a notorious railway bridge on London’s South Circular by more than a third since being installed last summer.

The full matrix signs work by detecting vehicles that are too high, prompting an electronic warning to be displayed. They are installed either side of the bridge, giving ample warning for oversized vehicles. The signs use energy-efficient LEDs for enhanced visual impact and to give early and clear information, particularly for non-English speaking drivers.

The use of LEDs in the signs significantly reduces power consumption for longer-life operation and further improved reliability. Less power also means that the service life of all electrical/electronic components is extended, and the LEDs do not suffer from any decrease in light intensity or colour change throughout their life cycle.

Benefits

Since the new measures, in the past six months, there have only been seven incidents – and only one in the last four months, compared to 11 crashes din the six months previous to the installation.

At one point the bridge was being hit on average almost twice a month, causing more than 218 hours of delays to Southern and Thameslink passengers between July 2015 and July 2016.

Mark Huband, Network Rail Route Asset Manager, said: “Every time a lorry hits this bridge it causes disruption to thousands of passengers and this reduction is a step in the right direction. With a railway network as busy and complex as ours, knock-on delays can spread very quickly.”

Khurram Khan Jadoom, Senior Traffic Engineer at TfL, said SWARCO Traffic’s signs are multi-purpose: “Not only do they meet the demands of TfL, but the signs are highly reliable and feedback from the general public has been extremely positive,” he said. “On top of this, the signs are variable so we are able to use them for alternative purposes to provide further traffic information to road users. This is a great benefit to us.”

The signs are integrated with TfL’s London Streets and Traffic Control Centre for optimum visibility and control. Extra standard warning signs and steel beams to protect the bridge were also installed last year.